In this effort, Rice’s bond with Bush has emerged as her key asset — but possibly also her critical weakness. It has made her the president’s top foreign policy confidante and helped her cultivate a public image imbued with power and influence. But at the same time, friends and former colleagues marvel at how Rice has been transformed by the president she so devotedly serves — from a hardheaded foreign policy “realist” to a wholehearted supporter of Bush’s belief in the power of freedom and democracy.

But, of course, this wouldn’t be a weakness at all if the beliefs to which Rice converted herself hadn’t proven to be catastrophic failures. But into that context, Rice’s critical weakness is less her loyalty, than her advocacy of incredibly misguided policies.

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